The Quarterback Whisperer:  Lee holds the key to Dolphins’ QB future

By Joe Mayes  |   Wednesday, February 20, 2008  |  Comments( 23 )

Miami Dolphins
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He was the first coach hired by Bill Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland, the Miami Dolphins' two most important members of the front office. He was there before Cam Cameron even had time to clean out his desk. He was there nearly a week before new head coach Tony Sparano. He has an almost mystical reputation for developing quarterbacks, both in college and in the NFL.

So who the heck is David Lee?

When Parcells named Lee the quarterbacks coach Jan. 10, many Dolphins fans scratched their heads, wondering why Parcells would fill such a key piece of the coaching staff before hiring his new head coach.

But Lee's hiring shows the importance Parcells places on success at the QB position. Ireland emphasized the "urgency to find the right person to coach the most important position on the team." Because Lee was planning to follow former Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt to Ole Miss, Parcells moved quickly to lock up the man he is counting on to turn John Beck into an competent quarterback.

Ireland has said he believes Lee has a blueprint for success in developing quarterbacks. This blueprint certainly translated to on-field success in Dallas, where three different Cowboys signal-callers threw for 3,000 or more yards in a season during Lee's time in Dallas (Quincy Carter in 2003, Vinny Testaverde in 2004, and Drew Bledsoe in 2005).

The fourth Cowboy quarterback under Lee's tutelage -- Tony Romo -- went from being an undrafted free agent in '03 to the Cowboys' starter in '06. Though he fell just short of the 3,000-yard mark in 2006, Romo threw for 4,211 yards in 2007 and gives much of the credit for his success to Lee. In fact, when Romo was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2006 season, he flew Lee and his wife to Hawaii for the week.

Parcells and Lee go back more than 30 years, to Lee's final two years as quarterback at Vanderbilt in 1973 and 1974, when Parcells was the Commodores' defensive coordinator. Since that time, Parcells has gone on to NFL fame and glory while Lee has remained in the shadows, mentoring young quarterbacks and molding them into efficient and effective leaders of football teams.

Parcells wouldn't have brought Lee in to work with Beck unless he believed Beck has the potential to succeed in the NFL. Before you say that six months isn't enough time for Lee to work his magic on Beck, consider that between the Cowboys' rookie camp in May, '03 and the start of training camp in July of that year, Lee completely revamped Romo's delivery. The rest, as they say, is history.

Lee's former boss, Nutt, calls Lee, "one of the best teachers on the field in America." Obviously bringing Lee in so soon gives him as much time as possible to not only work with Beck but also to assess his long-term potential well in advance of the NFL's free-agent signing period and the April NFL draft.

Lee's opinion of Beck's NFL ability will be valued nearly as much as the work he does with the second-year quarterback. While the Dolphins will almost certainly consider drafting a quarterback at some point during the seven rounds, Lee's assessment of Beck will play a large role in determining exactly when.

If the Dolphins bring in a veteran free-agent quarterback (such as Billy Volek or Todd Collins), you can bet it's because Lee believes Beck is still a year away. If the Dolphins sign a veteran and draft a quarterback in the early rounds, that will be a clear indication that Lee doesn't believe Beck is the Dolphins' quarterback of the future.

But be assured that the reason Parcells brought in David Lee so quickly was because he sees potential in Beck. Now it's up to Beck -- and Lee -- to turn that potential into the Dolphins' starting quarterback for 2008.
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About Joe Mayes

Joe Mayes is an award-winning writer with credits ranging from national sports columns to local newspapers and commercial and technical writing. Joe is the host of "The Morning Wrap," a morning drive-time sports talk radio show on WTKE-FM in Northwest Florida.
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CommentsComments: 23  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
bc		10:24 AM
02/20/2008
I think LEe will find Beck can be a good QB in the NFL. His problem last year was not delivery or throwing style - more of a...
No.2
phinfan4ever		11:09 AM
02/20/2008
How can beck get better when there's no #1 at wr or even a competent TE to checkoff to. Backfield should be solid but changes in...
No.3
Michael K.		12:33 PM
02/20/2008
Miami needs to draft Matt Ryan (QB) of Boston College. They shouldn't waste there time with Beck. Lets be real. They passed on...
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